U  G 

407 


INSTRUCTIONS 


ON 


WIRING 

(WIRE  OBSTACLES) 


ARMY  WAR  COLLEGE 
WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 


JANUARY,  1918 


From  the  Official  British  Instructions 
of  August,  1917 


u  6-407 

663 


WAR  DEPARTMENT. 

Document  No.  729. 

Office  of  The  Adjutant  General. 


WAR  DEPARTMENT, 
WASHINGTON,  January  14, 
The  following  pamphlet,  entitled  "Instructions  on  Wiring  (Wire 
Obstacles),"  is  published  for  the  information  of  all  concerned. 
[A.  G.  O.  No.  062.1.] 

BY  ORDER  OF  THE   SECRETARY  OF  WAR! 

TASKER  H.  BLISS, 

General,  Chief  of  Staff. 
OFFICIAL 
H.  P.  McCAIN, 

The  Adjutant  General. 


3 

664372 


CONTENTS. 

PARAGRAPH. 

INTRODUCTION  1 

Standard    patterns 5 

GENERAL  PRINCIPLES 7 

NOTES    ON    MATERIALS 9 

Barbed    wire 9 

Pickets   10 

French    wire 15 

Barbed  wire  concertinas 19 

Method  of  making  barbed  wire  concertinas 25 

Method  of  preparing  loose  wire 31 

Portable  knife  rests 37 

Man  Loads 38 

HANDLING  OF  MATERIAL 40 

Gloves,  running  out  coils  of  wire,  screw  pickets,  fixing  wire, 
holdfasts,  windlassing  sticks,  wirecutters. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  STANDARD  OBSTACLES 56 

Standard  French  wire   (emergency)   obstacle 56 

Concertina   wire 58 

Low  (or  knee-high)  wire  entanglement 60 

Double  apron  fence 62 

Time 66 

PAGE. 

DRILL  I. — For  50  yards  length  of  standard  French  wire  (emer- 
gency) obstacle 16 

DRILL  II. — For  50  yards  length  of  standard  double  belt  of 

concertinas  20 

DRILL  III. — For  50  yards  length  of  standard  low   (or  knee- 
high)  wire  entanglement 22 

DRILL  IV. — For  50  yards  of  standard  double  apron  fence 24 

PLATE  1. — French  wire  coils,  carriage  of  concertinas,  frame 

for  making  concertinas 26 

PLATE  2. — Preparation  of  loose  wire  spirals,  running  out  coil 

of  wire 27 

PLATE  3. — Fixing  wire  in  eyes  of  screw  pickets,  windlassing. .  28 

PLATE  4. — Standard  French  wire  obstacle 29 

PLATE  5. — Standard  double  belt  of  concertinas 30 

PLATE  6. — Standard  low  (or  knee-high)  wire  entanglement. ..  31 
PLATE  7. — Standard  double  apron  fence 32 


INSTRUCTIONS  ON   WIRING 

I.— INTRODUCTION. 

1.  The  object  of  these  notes  is  to  standardize  the  construction 
of  obstacles  and  to  limit  the  patterns  taught  and  used. 

2.  There  are  at  present  too  many  types  of  wire  entanglements, 
and  too  many  "drills"  for  erecting  them  in  use.     Recruits  may 
learn   three  or   four  "drills"   at  home,   and  then  others   at  the 
Base  in  France ;  yet  on  reaching  his  company  or  battalion  the 
men  may  be  told  to  forget  all  these  and  to  adopt  the  divisional 
standard  pattern.    When  only  short  training  is  possible,  this  can 
only  lead  to  inefficiency. 

3.  To  ensure  that  all  training  is  directed  to  the  same  purpose, 
four  patterns  of  entanglements  have  been  selected,  and  these, 
and  the  drills    for  erecting  them,  will   be  the   regulation  ones. 
Units  are  forbidden  to  adopt  any  other  without  previous  sanc- 
tion.   This  does  not  mean  that  these  four  standards  may  not  be 
modified  if  lack  of  men  or  materials  demand  it;  e.  g.,  for  very 
rapid  work  one  of  the  aprons  in  the  "apron   fence"  might  be 
omitted;  but  such  things  as  aprons  with  crossed  diagonals  and 
other  fancy  patterns  of  wire  will  not  be  used. 

4.  It  is  only  by  adopting  this  course  that  efficiency  in  this  mat- 
ter can  be  maintained.     If  in  any  unit  a  better  type  or  drill  is 
discovered,  the  fact  should  be  reported.     The  new  method  will 
then  be  thoroughly  tested  under  G.  H.  Q.  arrangements,  and  if 
found  more  satisfactory  will  be  adopted  officially  in  place  of  the 
old  one,  and  all  units  and  training  schools  will  be  informed. 

5.  The  following  are  the  four  standard  patterns  which  have 
been  selected: 

(1)  Emergency  obstacle   (French  wire). 

(2)  Belts  of  concertinas. 

(3)  Low  (or  knee,-high)  wire  entanglement. 
j(4)  Double  apron  fence. 

6.  These  four  patterns  cover  every  type  of  material  for  en- 
tanglements in  existence  at  present,  or  likely  to  be  found  in  the 
field. 

5 


II.— GENERAL  PRINCIPLES. 

7.  Rapidity  in  wiring  depends  on : 

(a)  The  confidence  with  which  the  men  handle  the  wire 
(see  40). 

(&)  The  simplicity  of  the  pattern  of  wire  entanglement  em- 
ployed. 

(c)   Careful  organization  of  parties  and  material. 

8.  In  working  out  a  drill  the  following  points  should  be  borne 
in  mind: 

(a)  No  one  group  of  men  should  ever  cross  another  in 
the  course  of  its  work;  the  groups  should  work  in  echelon 
and  in  the  same  direction. 

(&)  As  few  men  as  possible  should  be  employed. 

(c)  Work  must  be  arranged  so  that  the  men  are  not  bunched. 

(d)  The  pattern  and  method  of  erecting  should  be  such  that 
no  group  has  to  step  over  wire  previously  laid  by  another  group. 

O)  As  far  as  possible,  men  should  not  have  to  work  on  the 
enemy  side  of  the  wire.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  except  in  diffi- 
cult situations,  this  is  not  a  very  important  consideration. 
There  should  always  be  a  covering  party  in  front. 

(/)  The  pattern  of  wire  and  method  of  erecting  must  be 
simple.  It  is  an  established  fact  that  a  broad  "light"*  wire 
obstacle  is  less  easy  to  cross,  less  easily  destroyed,  and  less 
visible  in  aeroplane  photographs,  than  a  narrow  "heavy"  one. 
If  considered  necessary,  a  light  simple  framework  can  always 
be  thickened  with  loose  wire,  concertinas,  gooseberries,  etc. 
The  tendency  to  overdo  this  is  very  noticeable,  and  should  be 
discouraged.  Some  entanglements  have  been  made  so  thick 
that  the  wire  forms  a  carpet,  and  can  be  walked  over  with 
ease. 

III.— NOTES  ON  MATERIALS. 
Barbed  Wire. 

9.  The  length  of  barbed  wire  on  a  coil  differs  considerably. 
Some  coils  may  be  50  yards  long,  others  as  much  as  120  yards. 
It  is  hoped  that  supply  will  shortly  be  made  in  50-yard  or  100- 
yard  lengths.     The  weight,  including  the  drum,  of  100  yards  of 
wire  is  about  28  pounds ;  of  50  yards,  about  15  pounds. 

*'%ight"  being  used  in  the  sense  that  the  number  of  strands  of  wire  in 
the  entanglement  is  not  very  large. 


Pickets. 

10.  The  lengths  of  the  screw  pickets  are: 

Long  pickets,  5  feet,  with  four  eyes. 
Medium  pickets,  3  feet  6  inches,  with  two  eyes. 
Anchorage  pickets,  1  foot  6  inches,  with  one  loop. 

11.  The  pickets  are  supplied  in  two  weights: 

Heavy  weight,  Light  weight, 

about  about 

Long  ..................     9     Ibs.  6     Ibs. 

Medium   ...............     6^   "  4j4   " 

Anchorage    ............    3*A   "  2j4   " 

12.  The  light  weight  pattern,  which  has  been  recently  intro- 
duced, is  said  to  be  apt  -to  get  bent  out  of  shape. 

13.  In  the  original  pattern  of  the  long  heavy  screw  picket,  the 
eyes  were  two  on  one  side  of  the  post  and  two  on  the  other; 
in  all  pickets  now  manufactured,  the  eyes  are  all  on  the  same  side. 

14.  Angle  iron  pickets  are  supplied  in  two  lengths: 

5  foot  10^  inches  and  3  foot  6  inches. 


French  Wire. 

15.  "French  wire"  is  3  feet  6  inches  in  diameter  when  closed 
and  can  be  pulled  out  to  form  a  cylinder  of  wire  60  feet  long. 
It  is  made  of  plain  wire. 

16.  There  are  two   types  :   French   manufacture  and   English 
manufacture.     The  former  can  be  distinguished  from  the  latter 
by  the  wire,  which  is  of  a  smaller  gauge  and  more  pliable.    Some 
of  the  French  manufacture  has  a  few  small  flat  barbs. 

17.  German  manufactured  "French  wire,"  which  is  often  avail- 
able on  the  spot  where  it  is  required,  is  made  of  stouter  wire  and 
is  about  double  the  weight  of  the  French  and  English  article. 
It  is  very  resilient  and  is  a  fair  obstacle  even  without  any  support 
from  pickets. 

18.  If  the  French  wire  coils  are  of  French  manufacture,  one 
coil  is  a  man-load.    This  is  not  due  to  its  weight  (14  Ibs.)  but 
to  its  clumsiness.    The  easiest  method  of  carrying  it  is  to  bend 
it  into  a  figure  of  eight.     If  the  French  wire  coil  is  of  English 
manufacture,  the  figure  of  eight  can  be  further  doubled  on  itself 

7 


to  form  a  circle  of  about  two  feet  diameter,  and  then  two  coils, 
28  pounds  (see  Plate  1,  Fig.  1),  can  be  carried  by  one  man.  This 
cannot  be  done,  with  a  French  manufactured  coil  as  the  wire  has 
not  the  same  spring  as  the  English  one ;  it  consequently  gets  bent 
out  of  shape  and  will  not  pull  out  easily. 

Barbed  Wire  Concertinas. 

19.  The   chief   objection    to   barbed   wire   concertinas    is    that 
they  are  clumsy  to  carry.    The  most  satisfactory  arrangement  is 
to  make  them  4  feet  in  diameter  and  to  have  nine  pickets  in  the 
circle.     Then    24   complete   turns    taken    on    the    circle    of    the 
pickets  will  use  up  100  yards  of  light  barbed  wire,  and  the  concer- 
tina will  pull  out  to  18  feet     For  method  of  construction  see 
below. 

20.  No  satisfactory  barbed  wire  concertina  has  yet  been  made 
for  use  with  medium  pickets. 

21.  No  advantage  is  gained  by  using  iron  hoops  at  the  end 
of  the  concertina ;  the  concertina  does  not  stand  up  any  better ; 
it  is  much  heavier  and  requires  more  men  to  erect  it.    The  best 
method  of  keeping  the  concertinas  from  sagging  when  erected 
is  to  run  a  taut  wire  along  the  top  of  the  posts  and  windlass  the 
concertina  up  to  it.     (See  Drill  II.  for  Concertina  Wire.) 

22.  A   man   must  use   both   hands   to   pull   a   concertina   out. 
Handles  wired  on  at  the  ends  of  the  coil  are  not  generally  suit- 
able, and  the  men  do  not  use  them.    The  best  method  is  to  form 
a  good  plain  wire  end  with  four  turns  of  No.  14  wire  or  two 
turns  of  No.  12  wire.     (See  28.) 

23.  The  best  method  of  preparing  concertinas  for  carrying  is 
found  to  be  as  shown  in  Plate  1,  Fig.  2.    The  6-foot  laths  must 
be  tightly  wired   together.     These  laths   are   taken   off  by  the 
numbers  who  carry  when  the  concertinas  have  been  taken  out  to 
the  task.    If  they  are  left  on,  the  concertinas  are  more  difficult  to 
erect,  and  the  laths  creak  and  make  a  noise  against  the  posts. 

24.  A    concertina    thus    prepared    is    a    one-man    load    across 
country    or   in   wide    trenches    with    easy   corners.      In   narrow 
trenches  it  is  a  two-man  load.     (See  Plate  1,  Figs  3a  and  3b.) 

Method  of  Making  Barbed  Wire  Concertinas. 

25.  Draw  a  circle  4  feet  in  diameter.    Place  nine  posts  equally 
distant,  approximately   17  inches  centers)    round  this  circle  and 

8 


drive  them  in,  leaving  a  height  of  5  feet  above  ground.    Angle 
iron  pickets  are  much  easier  to  work  with  than  wooden  ones. 

.26.  One  100-yard  coil  is  required  per  concertina,  with  short 
lengths  plain  wire  for  fastening. 

27.  The   unit  party   is   three   men.     No.    1    works   inside   the 
framework;  Nos.  2  and  3  run  out  the  coil,  No.  2  helping  No.  1 
if  necessary. 

Average  time  per  concertina  is  20  minutes. 

28.  (i)    Take  two  complete  turns   round  the  nine  posts  with 
No.  12  plain  wire,  or  four  turns  with  No.  14  wire,  and  bind  these 
turns  together,  at  each  interval  between  posts  so  as  to  form  a 
secure  end  for  pulling  the  concertina  out. 

(ii)  Fasten  the  end  of  the  barbed  wire  on  to  the  plain  wire 
and  take  twenty-four  turns  with  it  round  the  posts  in  a  spiral 
form  binding  two  consecutive  turns  together  at  every  other  in- 
terval. (Hence  the  necessity  for  an  odd  number  of  posts — 9.) 

(iii)  Make  two  turns  with  plain  wire  and  make  fast  as  in  (i). 

29.  It  is  a  great  advantage  to  have  a  nonagonal  shaped  frame- 
work, made  of  three  angle  iron  pickets  (5  feet  10^2  inches)   or 
of  wood,  to  fit  over  the  top  of  the  nine  pickets,  so  as  to  keep 
them  properly  splayed  out.     It  is  easily  removed  when  the  con- 
certina is  finished  (Plate  1,  Fig.  4). 

30.  The  easiest  method  of  carriage  is  to  wire  on  two  6-foot 
laths  and  tie  two  points  at  right  angles  to  the  laths  with  plain 
wire.     The  laths  must  be  tightly  fixed  and  plenty  of  end  left  to 
the  plain  wire  so  that  it  can  be  easily  undone.     {See  Plate  1, 
Fig.  3.) 

Method  of  Preparing  Loose  Wire. 

31.  The  task  of  throwing  loose  wire  into  an  entanglement  from 
a  coil  is  a  long  and  tedious  one.    It  is  made  very  much  easier  and 
quicker  if  the  wire  is  coiled  in  a  spiral  form  beforehand. 

32.  To  do  this,  drive  in  two  3-foot  stakes,  3  feet  apart,  and 
two  more  at  right  angles  to  them  1  foot  6  inches  apart,  as  shown 
in  Plate  2,  Fig.  5.     Then  wind  100  yards  of  barbed  wire  round 
this   diamond   shaped    framework  gradually  working  it  up   the 
stakes  in  a  spiral.     Finally  take  the  spiral  off  the  stakes  and  tie 
it  together  in  four  places  with  plain  wire. 


33.  A  spiral  thus  made  can  be  easily  carried,  by  a  man  on  his 
shoulder,  in  a  trench. 

34.  To  use  it  as  loose  wire,  undo  the  plain  wire  bindings,  carry 
the  spiral  on  the  left  arm  and  walk  along  throwing  two  or  three 
coils  at  a  time  into  the  entanglement. 

35.  One  spiral  supplies  enough  loose  wire  for  a  bay  2  yards 
wide  and  25  yards  long.    It  takes  two  men  5  minutes  to  make  one 
of  these  spirals,  and  a  man  can  throw  it  in  as  loose  wire  almost 
as  fast  as  he  can  walk.    If  spirals  are  needed  in  large  quantities, 
a  winch,  as  shown  in  Plate  2,  Fig.  6,  is  useful  and  saves  time  and 
labor. 

36.  If  time  and  opportunity  to  make  spirals  are  lacking,  loose 
wire  can  be  placed  as  follows :  Uncoil  a  50-yard  length  on  the 
ground,  cut  it,  pick  it  up  with  a  long  forked  stick,  twisting  it  to 
and  fro,  and  throw  it  on  the  entanglement.    Press  it  well  down 
and  secure  it  to  the  wires  already  in  position  by  10-inch  lengths 
of  binding  wire. 

Portable  Knife  Rests. 

37.  A  portable  form  of  knife  rest  copied  from  the  French  and 
known  as  Reseau  Pliant  is  available.    The  distance  piece  is  col- 
lapsible, and  when  it  has  been  removed  the  two  ends  can  be 
closed  together  by  rotating  one  towards  the  other.     Its  length 
is  6  feet  6  inches,  and  in  height  about  2  feet  6  inches.    It  forms 
a  load  for  one  man. 

Man-Loads. 

38.  The  following  are  found  to  be  convenient  man-loads  of 
various   materials   used   in   wire  entanglements.     The  numbers 
have  been  worked  out  not  only  as   fair  loads   for  the  average 
infantryman,  but  also  to  facilitate  wiring  parties. 

Average 
Total 
Material  No.         Weight. 

Heavy  screw  (long)  pickets  5'  long  with  four  eyes 4  36  Ibs. 

Light  6  36 

Heavy  screw  (medium)  pickets  3'  6"  long  with  two  eyes 6  39 

Light  36 

Heavy  screw  (anchorage)  pickets  18"  long,  with  loop 26 

Light  16  40 

Angle  iron  pickets  5'  10H"  long 

"       3'    6"       "     6  37 

Wooden  posts  5' long,  3" — 3W  diameter 

Wooden  pickets  2'  6"  long,  2^j"  diameter 16 

Coil  barbed  wire  100  yards  length  1 

50  "  2  30     " 

French  wire  coils See  French  wire  (para.   15) 

Concertinas See  Concertinas  (para.  19) 

10 


39.  With  Yukon  packs  heavy  loads  (including  pack  which 
weighs  8  pounds)  from  48  to  64  pounds,  and  average  loads  of  40 
to  44  pounds  can  be  carried. 


Load 

Barbed 
Wire 
Coils 

Long  Screw 
Pickets 
(heavy)  No. 

Anchorage 
Pickets 

(heavy)  No  . 

Total  Weight 
with  pack 
(Ibs.  average) 

Remarks 

A 

2 

— 

— 

64 

B 
C 

1 
1 

2 
2 

2 

60 

52 

Heavy  loads  only 
possible  for  short 
distances. 

D 

1 

1 

1 

48 

E 

1 

— 

2 

44 

P 

1 

1 

— 

44 

G 

1 

— 

1 

40 

Average  loads. 

H 

— 

4 

— 

40 

I 

— 

— 

8 

40 

HANDLING  OF  MATERIAL. 

40.  Rapidity  in  wiring  depends  very  largely  on  the  ability  of 
the  men  to  handle  wire.     Men  must  be  trained  to  use  it  with 
confidence  and  not  to  be  afraid  of  it.    It  is  like  a  stinging  nettle; 
if  a  man  is  not  frightened  of  it  and  treats  it  as  if  it  were  a  rope, 
it  will  not  hurt  him. 

Gloves. 

41.  If  gloves  are  used  they  should  be  fingerless,  as  the  fingers, 
especially  the  little  one,  are  apt  to  catch  in  the  wire.     The  best 
sappers  and  men  who  have  had  long  experience  in  wiring  never 
use  gloves. 

Running'  Out  Coils. 

42.  A  great  many  drills  have  detailed  two  men  to  run  out  a 
coil.     This,  is  absolutely  unnecessary,  as  one  man  can  do  it  with 
ease.     The  stake  must  be  so  made  that  the  coil  revolves  easily 
on  it,  and  be  so  held  that  the  wire  runs  out  from  underneath  the 
coil  and  not  from  the  top  (Plate  2,  Fig.  7).     If  the  coil  is  held 
the  other  way  and  the  wire  gets  caught  up  at  all,  the  sudden  strain 
tends  to  throw  it  up  in  the  man's  face. 

11 


RULES. 

Screw  Pickets. 

43.  The  following  rules  should  be  adopted  for  all  work  with 
screw  pickets : 

(i)  Laying  out  pickets.  Pickets  must  always  be  carried 
under  the  left  arm  and  placed  on  the  ground  with  the  right 
hand,  and  in  such  a  way  that  the  end  of  the  screw  faces  the 
enemy,  and  indicates  the  spot  at  which  the  picket  is  to  be 
screwed  in. 

(ii)  Long  pickets  must  be  screwed  in  so  that  the  eyes  are 
parallel  to  the  length  of  the  entanglement,  and  the  end  of  the 
top  eye  points  to  the  direction  from  which  the  men  are  work- 
ing, i.  e.,  to  the  head  of  the  task. 

(iii)  Medium  pickets  must  be  screwed  in  so  that  the  eyes 
are  parallel  to  the  length  of  the  entanglement,  and  in  the  case 
of  the  heavy  pattern  the  point  on  the  top  eye  is  on  the  enemy 
side;  in  the  case  of  the  light  pattern,  the  point  on  the  top  eye 
is  on  the  home  side. 

(iv)   Anchorage  pickets.     Same  rule  as   for  "long  pickets/'' 

44.  It  must  be  impressed  on  all  that  if  the  above  rules  are 
observed : 

(i)  It  is  much  easier  to  fix  the  wire  in  the  eyes. 
(ii)  Loss  of  direction  is  impossible. 

Fixing  Wire. 

45.  For  fixing  wire  on  to  screw  pickets  the  following  rules 
should  be  adopted  (see  Plate  2,  Figs.  8  and  9)  : 

(i)  Men  fixing  the  wire  must  always  work  facing  the  enemy. 

(ii)  To  fix  wire  in  top  eye  of  long  pickets,  and  loop  of 
anchorage  pickets: 

Pull  the  standing  end  taut  and  slip  the  wire  up  into  the 

eye;  turn  the  running  end  up  over  the  eye  towards  the  end 

of  the  eye  thus  threading  the  wire  in  the  eye.    Then  take  a 

turn  with  the  running  end  round  the  picket  below  the  eye. 

(iii)  To  fix  wire  in  lower  eyes  of  long  or  medium  pickets 
when  there  is  already  a  wire  in  the  top  eye: 

(a)   Pull  the  standing  end  taut  and  slip  the  wire  up  into 

the  eye.     Then  take  the  bight  on  the  running  end,  pass  ir 

12 


round  the  picket  above  the  eye,  then  finish  off  by  taking  a 
turn  with  the  bight  on  the  running  end. 

(&)  In  the  long  picket,  one  eye  is  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  picket  to  the  other  three.  In  this  case  the  wire  must  be 
forced  down  into  the  eye  and  the  bight  on  the  running  end 
passed  round  the  post  under  the  eye. 

(iv)  All  horizontal  wires  of  an  apron  must  be  fixed  to  the 
diagonal  stays  by  windlassing  (Plate  3,  Fig.  10). 

46.  If  these  rules  are  carried  out,  the  wire  will  be  firmly  fixed 
in  the  eye  and  cannot  slip  up  or  down  the  post;  also,  if  one 
bay  is  cut,  the  wire  in  the  bays  on  either  side  remains  taut  and 
does  not  slip  through  the  eyes. 

47.  The  above  methods   of  fixing  wire  are   found  to  be   far 
more   satisfactory  and   rapid   than  employing   short  lengths   of 
plain    wire.     The    latter   method    is    slow,    and    the   plain    wire 
almost  invariably  runs  short,  or  is  forgotten  or  lost  at  night. 

48.  The  above  rules  apply  whichever  way  the  wirers  are  work- 
ing— from  right  to  left  or  left  to  right. 

Holdfasts. 

49.  Wooden  pickets   used   as   holdfasts   should  be   driven    in 
roughly  at  right  angles  to  the  stay  wire  that  is  attached  to  them, 
but  screw  anchorage  pickets  must  be  put  in  in  the  direction  of  this 
stay  wire  or  they  will  be  drawn  in  the  direction  of  the  strain. 

50.  All   bundles   of  screw  and   angle   iron   pickets   should   be 
wrapped  round  with  a  sandbag  and  secured  in  at  least  two  places 
by  a  turn  of  plain  wire,  with  the  ends  twisted  together.    Enough 
end  to  this  wire  must  always  be  left  so  that  it  can  be  untwisted 
by  hand  without  pliers. 

51.  Long  wooden  pickets  should  be  tied  together  in  at  least  two 
places  with  plain  wire.     Short  wooden  pickets  are  best  carried 
in  sandbags  eight  in  each  bag ;  the  two  bags  are  tied  together  and 
slung  over  the  shoulder. 

52.  Windlassing  sticks. — Every  man  of  a  wiring  party  should 
carry  the  helve  of  the  entrenching  implement,  or  a  short  2-foot 
stake  or  iron  bar  (J^-inch  diameter).     These  are  necessary  for: 

(i)   Screwing  in  pickets, 
(ii)   Screwing  out  coils  of  barbed  wire, 
(iii)  Windlassing  wire. 

53.  Iron    bars    are    only    necessary    when    working    in    hard 

13 


ground.  They  should  be  bound  with  whipcord,  or  a  double 
thickness  of  canvas,  to  avoid  noise.  If  they  are  used,  a  short 
stick  about  9  inches  long  should  be  carried  for  windlassing. 

54.  Marking  end  of  coil. — The  plain  wires  securing  a  coil  of 
barbed  wire  must  be  cut,  and  a  piece  of  sandbag  or  white  cloth 
tied  to  the  running  end  of  the  coil,  in  order  that  there  shall  be  no 
difficulty  in  finding  it  at  night ;  the  pieces  of  tin  on  the  wooden 
drums  must  be  broken  off  to  prevent  noise.    All  this  should  be 
done  before  material  is  taken  forward  for  work. 

55.  Wire  cutters. — It  very  seldom  occurs  that  there  are  enough 
wire-cutters  to  give  a  pair  to  every  man  in  a  wiring  party.     If 
stores  have  been  properly  prepared  beforehand,  there  is  no  neces- 
sity for  anybody  except  the  officers  and  noncommissioned  officers 
to  have  a  pair,  and  the  issue  of  wire-cutters  should  be  strictly 
limited  to  them. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STANDARD  OBSTACLES. 

I.— Standard  French  Wire  (Emergency)  Obstacle.  (See Plate  4.) 

56.  This  is  the  most  rapid  form  of  entanglement   (see  table 
below).     It  must  not  be  regarded  as  a  permanent  obstacle  but 
merely  one  that  can  be  rapidly  put  up  and  is  capable  of  being 
strengthened   afterwards.     It  is   a   standard   to   be   adopted  on 
emergency  and  every  man  should  be  trained  in  its  erection. 

57.  The  pattern  selected  consists  of  two  belts  of  French  wire 
one  yard  apart  with  a  horizontal  barbed  strand  along  the  top  of 
each  belt;   a  trip  wire  windlassed  on  the   front  of  the  enemy 
belt;    and    loose    wire    thrown    in    between    the    belts.      Many 
drills  have  included  a   diagonal  wire  connecting  the  two  belts 
together,  instead  of  loose  wire.    This  diagonal  wire  is  of  very  little 
value,  and  the  erection  of  it  is  very  slow,  as  the  men  have  to  be 
continually  stooping  under  it.     It  must  be  remembered  that  the 
essence  of  a  French  wire  entanglement  is  rapidity,  and  its  chief 
use  is  in  a  situation  when  rapidity  is  essential.     The  addition  of 
loose  wire  and  a  trip  wire  certainly  make  the  entanglement  more 
efficient,  and  it  can  be  made  as  quickly  as  the  French  wire  itself 
can  be  erected.     The  organization  of  the  wiring  party  is  so  ar- 
ranged that  two  spare  men  do  this.     If  circumstances  therefore 
demand  that  the  trip  wire  and  loose  wire  should  be  omitted,  the 
organization  of  the  rest  of  the  party  is  not  affected. 

14 


II.— Concertina  Wire.    (See  Plate  5.) 

58.  A  very  rapid  entanglement  consisting  of  concertinas,  pickets, 
and  one  horizontal  wire  along  the  top  of  the  pickets.    It  has  two 
rather  serious  disadvantages,  in  that  it  requires  a  good  deal  of 
preparation  beforehand,  and  entails  large  carrying  parties. 

59.  At  least  two  rows  of  concertinas  should  be  erected  (1  yard 
apart  in  the  clear)  to  form  an  effective  entanglement.     One  row 
is  not  sufficient. 

III.— Low  (or  Knee-high)  Wire  Entanglement.    (See  Plate  6.) 

60.  This    entanglement    consists    of    three    rows    of    medium 
pickets,  a  horizontal  wire  along  the  top  of  each  row,  one  diagonal 
wire  in  each  of  the  two  bays  formed  by  the  three  rows,  and  finally 
loose  wire  thrown  into  the  bays. 

61.  It  is  not  a  very  effective  entanglement,  but  its  chief  value 
lies  in  the  fact  that  it  is  not  conspicuous.     It  is  the  slowest  en- 
tanglement to  erect  at  night,  if  screw  pickets  are  used,  as  the 
latter  are  very  hard  to  find.    This  difficulty  can  be  overcome  by 
laying  down  a  spun  yarn  line  or  tracing  tape. 

IV.— Double  Apron  Fence.    (See  Plate  7.) 

62.  This  entanglement  consists  of  four  horizontal  strands  on 
the  fence,  and  three,  including  the  trip  wire,  on  each  apron. 

63.  Taking  into  consideration  the  following  points: 

(a)  Effectiveness; 

(b)  Amount  of  preparation  required  beforehand; 

(c)  Size  of  carrying  party; 

(d)  Rapidity  and  simplicity  of  erection; 

the  double  apron  fence  is  undoubtedly  the  best  pattern  of  en- 
tanglement yet  evolved,  and  stands  up  against  shell  fire  or  Ban- 
galore torpedoes  as  well  as>  any  other  pattern.  For  very  rapid 
work  over  long  lengths,  the  back  apron  was  often  omitted  at  the 
beginning  of  the  war,  and  the  entanglement  thus  modified  was 
found  amply  sufficient  to  hold  up  the  most  determined  enemy 
attacks.  The  value  of  the  entanglement  lies  chiefly  in  the  front 
apron,  which  should  never  be  omitted.  The  men  work  behind 
the  wire  the  whole  time,  and  there  is  no  stepping  over  wires 
previously  erected. 

64.  Belts  of  double  apron  fences  form  an  excellent  framework 

15 


for  a  wide  obstacle.     Concertinas,  gooseberries,   or  loose  wire 
can  be  thrown  in  between  the  bays  for  thickening  purposes. 

65.  The  "drills"  given  below  are  equally  applicable,   whether 
screw,  wooden  or  angle  iron  pickets  are  used. 

The  spacing  of  the  posts  and  pickets  has  been  worked  out  with 
due  consideration  to  efficiency  and  keeping  the  size  of  carrying 
parties  down  as  small  as  possible.  The  spacing  shown  in  the 
plates  has  been  found  to  give  the  best  mean  between  these  two 
conflicting  views. 

Time. 

66.  On  the  assumption  of  work  in  the  following  conditions : 

(1)  Stores  are  taken  up  by  a  separate  carrying  party  as  far 
as  the  fire  trench  only. 

(2)  The  entanglement  is  erected  35-50  yards  from  the  fire 
trench.     Stores  have,  therefore,  to  be  carried  out  that  dis- 
tance by  the  wiring  party. 

(3)  The  men  work  in  battle  order. 

The  following  data  have  been  arrived  at  with  good  average 
parties  (not  picked  men)  : 


Pattern  and  Length 

Wiring    party 

Carrying 
party 

Average 
time  by  day- 
light 

Average 
time  by 
night 

N.C.O. 

Men 

N.C.O. 

Men 

50  yds.  French  Wire 
(Emergency)  En- 
tanglement 
50  yds.  double  belt 
of  concertinas 
50    yds.     Low     (or 
Knee-high)  Wire 
SOyds.DoubleApron 
Fence 

1 
1 
1 

9 

7 
7 
9 

1 

2 
1 
1 

18* 

43t 
18 
15 

10  mins. 

20  miins. 
30  mins. 
30  mins. 

20-30  mins. 

Yi—%  hour 
\-\\i  hours 
%—  1  hour 

*  IS.men  if  French  wire  coils  are  of  English  manufacture. 
f  27  men  if  stores  can  be  carried  across  country. 

DRILL  I. 

DRILL  FOR  50  YARDS'  LENGTH  STANDARD  FRENCH 

WIRE  (EMERGENCY)  OBSTACLE. 
Materials. 

1.  Six  bundles  of  four  posts  each. 

2.  One  (mixed)  bundle,  containing  two  long  and  four  anchor- 
age pickets.     (Anchorage  pickets  to  have  a  plain  wire  stay  fixed 
on.) 

16 


3.  Six  coils  French  wire. 

4.  Twenty-four  staples. 

5.  Three  coils  of  barbed  wire. 

6.  Two  spirals  barbed  wire. 

Wiring  Party. 

One  N.C.O.  and  9  men.  The  N.C.O.  carries  cutting  pliers,  and 
each  of  the  party  a  windlassing  stick.  Gloves  as  desired. 

Carrying  Party. 

One  N.C.O.  and  18  men,  if  French  wire  coils  are  of  French 
manufacture. 

One  N.C.O.  and  15  men,  if  French  coils  are  of  English  manu- 
facture. 

Tasks. 


Group 
A. 

Nos. 

1st  Task 

2nd  Task 

3rd  Task 

4th  Task 

5th  Task 

1 

2 

Carry     out 
one    mixed 
bundle. 

Carry  out 
3  bundles 
pickets  and 
24   staples. 

Lay  out 
and  screw 
in  outer 
line  of 
pickets. 

Erect  P.  W. 
coils   on 
outer  line 
pickets. 

Lay    out 
and  _    screw 
in  inner 
line  pickets 

Repeat  3rd 
task  on 
inner  line 
pickets. 

3 
4 

Windlass 
coils    to- 
gether and 
staple 
down. 

B. 

5 
6 

7 

Carry  out  store  s:  —  six 
coils  French  wire  —  three 
bundles  pickets. 

Put    on  top    horizontal 
wire  on  outer  line  pickets. 

Put  on  top 
hori  zo  n  t  a  1 
wire  on  inner 
line  pickets. 

C. 

8 
9 

Carry   out  all  barbed 
wire   stores,   *'.    s.,   three 
coils    barbed    wire,    two 
spirals. 

Put   trip   wire   on  outer 
belt    French    wire    and 
windlass  on  to  coil. 

Throw  in 
loose  wire 
between 
the  2  belts 
French 
wire. 

Detail. 

1.  The  N.C.O.  leads  out  the  whole  party  to  the  head  of  the 
work.    No.  1  carries  the  mixed  bundle,  and  No.  4  the  staples,  in 
addition  to  his  bundle  of  posts.     A  Party  undoes  its  bundle  of 
posts  while  the  N.C.O.  shows  B  and  C  Parties  where  to  dump 
their  stores. 

2.  When  ready,  the  N.C.O.  picks  up  one  anchorage  picket  and 

17 


then  indicates  to  No.  1  where  to  lay  the  head  anchorage  picket 
and  first  long  picket.  Having  laid  these  out,  No.  1  immediately 
starts  screwing  them  in.  The  N.C.O.  then  indicates  to  Nos.  2, 
3  and  4  in  turn  where  to  lay  their  respective  pickets,  and  finally 
lays  down  the  anchorage  picket  at  the  end  of  the  task.  When 
No.  1  has  finished  screwing  in  his  anchorage  picket  and  first 
post,  he  assists  No.  2. 

3.  As  soon  as  Nos.  1  and  2  have  finished  screwing  in  their 
pickets,  they  return   to  the  head   of   the  work  and  pick  up  a 
French  wire  coil.     No.  1  slips  his  end  over  the  first  picket  and 
then  fixes  the  plain  wire  stay  attached  to  the  anchorage  picket 
to  the  first  long  picket     No.  2  pulls  the  coil  out  to  the  fifth 
picket,  t.  e.,  16  yards,  and  slips  the  bottom  of  it  only  over  the 
picket     No.    1    lifts   and  places   the  coil   over   the  two  pickets 
nearest  him,  i.  e.,  in  this  case  the  second  and  third  pickets ;  while 
No.  2  lifts  and  places  the  coil  over  the  picket  nearest  him,  i.  e., 
in  this  case  the  third.    No.  1  gets  another  coil,  joins  No.  2,  and 
slips  his  end  of  the  coil  over  the  fifth  picket,  and  then  slips  the 
top  of  the  first  coil  over  the  picket.    No.  2  meanwhile  is  pulling 
the  coil  out  16  yards,  t.  e.,  to  the  ninth  picket,  and  the  same 
procedure  is  followed  as  in  the  case  of  the  first  coil. 

In  this  task  Nos.  1  and  2  must  only  slip  the  French  wire  coil 
over  the  picket  and  must  not  fasten  it  in  the  top  eye.  This  is 
necessary,  as  it  makes  work  much  easier  for  B  Party.  In  pulling 
out  the  coil  No.  2  has  to  remember  to  miss  three  pickets  and 
slip  his  end  of  the  coil  over  the  fourth  from  the  one  that  he 
started  from.  The  N.C.O.  should  supervise  this. 

4.  As  soon  as  No.  3  has  finished  screwing  in  his  four  pickets, 
he  returns  to  the  head  of  the  task  and  staples  down  the  French 
wire  midway  between  each  pair  of  pickets,  i.  e.,  he  has  to  put  in 
12  staples  in  the  50-yard  belt. 

As  soon  as  No.  4  has  finished  screwing  in  his  four  pickets  and 
the  anchorage  picket  at  the  end  of  the  task,  he  returns  and  wind- 
lasses the  French  wire  coils  together  at  their  junctions  and  fixes 
the  plain  wire  stay  attached  to  the  anchorage  picket. 

5.  By  the  time  B  Party  has  finished  carrying  out  its  stores, 
one  French  wire  coil  is  in  position,  and  it  can  start  putting  the 
horizontal  wire  along  the  top  of  the  pickets.    No.  5  runs  out  the 
barbed  wire  coil.     No.  6  fixes  the  end  to  the  head  anchorage 
picket,  and  then,  pulling  the  wire  taut,  fixes  it  to  the  top  of  each 

18 


picket,  finally  finishing  off  on  the  end  anchorage  picket.  No.  7 
windlasses  the  French  wire  up  to  the  barbed  wire  at  points  about 
1  foot  on  either  side  of  the  pickets  and  also  midway  between 
them.  No.  5  should  be  careful  not  to  get  too  far  away  from  No. 
6  with  his  coil;  always  give  No.  6  plenty  of  slack,  and  keep  the 
barbed  wire  from  getting  entangled  in  the  French  wire  as  much 
as  possible. 

6.  C  Party  has  to  bring  out    five  man-loads  of  stores ;  No.  9 
does  two  journeys;  No.  8  three  journeys.    While  No.  8  is  doing 
his  third  journey  No.  9  fixes  the  end  of  a  coil  of  barbed  wire 
to  the  head  anchorage  picket  and  then  runs  the  coil  out  in  front 
of  the  French  wire  till  he  reaches  the  end  anchorage  picket.    He 
then  drops  the  coil  and  goes  back  to  assist  No.  8,  who  should 
have  brought  out  his  last  load  by  then  to  wiadlass  the  barbed 
wire  on  to  the  French  wire  about  1  foot  from  the  ground.    The 
end  of  the  barbed  wire  is  finally  made  fast  to  the  end  anchorage 
picket. 

7.  A  and  B  Parties  repeat  the  procedure  detailed  in  paragraphs 
1-5  with  the  inner  belt  of  French  wire. 

8.  As  soon  as  C  Party  has  finished  putting  the  trip  wire  on 
the  outer  belt,  it  returns  to  the  head  of  work,  and  Nos.  8  and  9 
pick  up  a  spiral  each.     No.  9,  preceded  by  No.  8,  walks  down 
between  the  two  belts,  paying  out  the  loose  wire  from  the  spiral 
as  he  goes  along.     When  No.  9  has  finished  his  spiral,  he  slips 
past  No.  8,  who  then  starts  paying  out  loose  wire  from  his  spiral. 
Each  spiral  supplies  enough  loose  wire  for  a  25  yards'  length  of 
entanglement. 

Notes. 

1.  The  French  wire  coils  are  pulled  out  to  16  yards  and  the  pickets  put 
in  4  yards  apart  in  order  that  calculations  for  stores  may  be  easy  and  fit  in 
with    man-loads.       The    first    French    wire    coil    requires    5    pickets,    every 
subsequent   one  4  pickets,  i.    e.,  a   man-load,  so  that  if   one  belt   of  French 
wire   containing   20    French    wire   coils    has   to   be   erected    the    number    of 
pickets  are  12  man-loads  plus  one  long  picket  and  two  anchorage  pickets. 

2.  C  Party  is  the  only  party  that  has  to  work  in  front  of  the  wire. 

3.  It  is   found  quicker   to  screw  in  the  pickets   first   and   lift   the    French 
wire   over  them,   rather  than   staple   down   the  French  wire   first  and   screw 
in   the   pickets  afterwards.     The   reason    for  this   is  that   the    French    wire 
almost  invariably   gets   caught   and    twisted   up    in   the   eyes    of  the    pickets. 

4.  It  is  a  matter  of  opinion  how  many  staples  are  necessary.     If  the  loose 
wire  is  omitted,   the   proportion  of  staples  to   French   wire  coils   should   be 
six  instead  of  four. 

5.  If  wooden  or  angle  iron  pickets  are  used,  Nos.   1   and   2  and   Nos.  3 

19 


and   4,   respectively,   work  together,   Nos.    2   and   4   holding   up   the   pickets 
while  Nos.  1  and  3  maul  them  in. 

6.  Short  lengths  of  concertina  barbed  wire  may  be  used  in  place  of  barbed 
wire   spirals. 

DRILL  II. 

DRILL  FOR  50  YARDS   STANDARD  DOUBLE  BELT   OF 

CONCERTINAS. 
Material. 

1.  Eight  bundles,  containing  four  long  screw  pickets  each. 

2.  One  "mixed"  bundle,  containing  two  long  screw  pickets  and 
four  anchorage  pickets. 

3.  Sixteen  concertinas. 

4.  Two  coils  barbed  wire. 
Wiring  Party.    - 

One  N.C.O.  and  7  men.    The  N.C.O.  carries  cutting  pliers,  and 
each  of  the  party  a  windlassing  stick.    Gloves  as  desired. 
Carrying  Party. 

Two  N.C.O.'s  and  43  men.     (If  in  trenches.) 

One  N.C.O.  and  27  men.     (If  across  country.) 
Tasks  of  Wiring  Party. 

FOR  ONE  BELT 


Party 

No. 

1st  Task 

2nd  Task 

3rd  Task 

N.  C.  0. 

Carries  out 
"mixed"  bundle. 

Direction  and  general  supervision. 

A. 

1 
2 

Carry  out  four 
bundles  of  pickets. 

Lay  out  and  screw 
in  pickets. 

Erect     concertinas 
and  windlass 
them  together. 

3 

4 

B. 

5 
6 

7 

Carry  out  8  concertinas  and  make 
ready  for  erection;  carry  out  1  coil 
barbed  wire. 

Run  horizontal 
wire   along  top   of 
pickets   and    wind- 
1  a  s  s     concertinas 
up  to  it. 

Detail. 

1.  The  N.C.O.  leads  out  whole  party  to  head  of  work  and  all 
numbers  undo  their  bundles. 

2.  When  ready,  the  N.C.O.  lays  down  first  anchorage  picket, 

20 


takes  two  paces,  and  lays  down  one  long  picket  He  then  paces 
out  and  indicates  to  No.  1  where  to  lay  his  four  pickets.  As  soon 
as  No.  1  has  finished  his  bundle  he  screws  in  the  five  long  pickets 
and  anchorage  picket. 

3.  The  N.C.O.  then  indicates  to  Nos.  2,  3  and  4  in  turn  where 
to  lay  out  their  respective  bundles  of  pickets.     Each  man  then 
screws  in  his  own  four  pickets.    No.  4  also  screws  in  the  end  of 
anchorage  picket,  which  the  N.C.O.  lays  down  two  paces  from 
and  in  line  with  the  long  pickets. 

4.  B  Party  meanwhile  brings  out  eight  concertinas   and  lays 
them,  roughly,  about  two  paces  behing  every  second  long  picket, 
starting  from  the  head  of  the  work.    No.  5  brings  out  three  con- 
certinas.    No.  6  brings  out  three  concertinas.     No.  7  brings  out 
two  concertinas,  and  in  his  third  journey  the  coil  of  barbed  wire. 
Each  man  is  responsible  that  the  concertinas  he  brings  out  are 
properly  undone  and  ready  for  erection. 

5.  As  soon  as  Nos.  1  and  2  have  finished  they  go  back  to  the 
head  of  the  work  and  stretch  out  the  first  concertina.     No.  1 
slips  his  end  over  the  first  picket.    No.  2  slips  the  bottom  of  his 
end  only  over  the  third  picket.     The  second  concertina  is  then 
stretched  out.    No.  1  slips  his  end  over  the  third  picket  and  then 
the  top  of  the  first  concertina  on  the  third  picket.     Meanwhile, 
No.  2  slips  the  bottom  of  his  end  over  the  fifth  picket.     This 
procedure  is  carried  out  for  all  the  concertinas,  except  the  last 
one,  where  No.  2  slips  the  whole  of  his  end  over  the  last  picket. 
In  this  task  Nos.  1  and  2  must  only  slip  the  concertina  over  the 
picket  and  not  fix  it  in  the  top  eye.    This  is  necessary,  as  it  makes 
work  much  easier  for  B  Party. 

6.  As  soon  as  Nos.  3  and  4  have  finished  screwing  in  their 
pickets,  they  return  to  the  head  of  the  work  and  assist  Nos.  1 
and  2.    No.  3  works  on  the  home  side  of  the  concertinas ;  No.  4 
on  the  enemy  side.     No.  3  lifts  the  middle  of  each  concertina 
over  the  center  picket,  /.  e.,  second,  fourth,  sixth,  etc.),  assisted 
by  No.  4  if  necessary.    No  3  also  windlasses  the  concertinas  to- 
gether on  the  home  side  and  No.  4  on  the  enemy  side  as  they 
work  along. 

7.  As  soon  as  B  Party  has  finished  its  first  task,  detailed  in  (4), 
it  runs  out  the  horizontal  wire  along  the  top  of  the  pickets.    No. 
5  runs  out  the  barbed  wire  coil.    No.  6  fixes  the  end  to  the  head 
anchorage  picket,  and  then,  pulling  the  wire  taut,  fixes  it  to  the 
top  of  each  long  picket,  finally  finishing  off  on  the  end  anchorage 

21 


picket.  No.  7  windlasses  the  concertina  up  to  the  horizontal  wire 
at  points  about  1  foot  on  either  side  of  the  pickets  and  also 
midway  between  them.  No.  5  should  be  careful  not  to  get  too 
far  away  from  No.  6  with  his  coil ;  also  give  No.  6  plenty  of  slack 
and  keep  the  barbed  wire  as  much  as  possible  from  getting 
entangled  in  the  concertinas. 

8.  The  above  procedure  is  repeated,  but  for  the  second  belt  the 
pickets  should  be  staggered  as  shown  in  diagram. 

If  wooden  or  angle  iron  pickets  are  used,  Nos.  1  and  2  and 
Nos.  3  and  4,  respectively,  work  together,  Nos.  2  and  4  holding 
up  the  pickets  while  Nos.  1  and  3  drive  them  in. 

DRILL  III. 

DRILL  FOR  50  YARDS    LENGTH  STANDARD  LOW  (OR 

KNEE-HIGH)  WIRE  ENTANGLEMENT. 
Materials. 

1.  Nine  bundles,*  containing  six  medium  pickets  each. 

2.  Two  coils    (100  yards)   and  three  coils    (50  yards)   barbed 
wire. 

3.  Four  spirals. 
Wiring  Party. 

One  N.C.O.  and  7  men.    The  N.C.O.  carries  cutting  pliers,  and 
each  of  the  party  a  windlassing  stick.    Gloves  as  required. 
Carrying  Party. 

One  N.C.O.  and  18  men. 
Tasks  of  Wiring  Party. 


Group 

Nos. 

1st  Task 

2nd  Task 

3rd  Task 

4th  Task 

5th  Task 

A. 

1 

2 
3 

Carry  out  3 
bundles 
pickets 
and  2  coils 
(100  yards) 
barb  wire. 

Lay  out  and 
screw  in 
center  line 
of  pickets. 

Diagonal 
wire  in 
enemy  bay. 

Diagonal 
wire  in 
home  bay. 

B. 

4 

5 

Carry  out  3 
bundles 
pickets 
and  3  coils 
(50  yards) 
barb  wire. 

Lay  out  and 
screw  in 
outer  line 
of  pickets. 

Horizontal 
wire  on 
outer  line 
of  pickets. 

Horizontal 
wire  on 
center 
line  of 

pickets. 

Horizontal 
wire    on 
inner   line 
of  pickets. 

C. 

6 

7 

Carry  out  3 
bundles 
pickets 
and  4 
spirals  . 

Lay  out  and 
screw  in 
inner  line 
of  pickets. 

Loose  wire 
in  enemy 
bay. 

Loose  wire 
in  home 
bay. 

22 


Detail. 

1.  The  N.C.O.  leads  out  the  whole  of  his  party  and  gets  all 
his  stores  dumped  in  some  convenient  spot  behind  or  near  the 
head  of  the  task.     Each  group  is  responsible  for  its  own  stores, 
as  detailed  above.    A,  being  the  larger  group,  will  be  ready  first. 

2.  When  ready,  the  N.C.O.,  followed  by  Nos.  1,  2  and  3,  paces 
out  and  indicates  to  No.  1  where  to  lay  pickets.    As  soon  as  No. 
1  has  finished  his  bundle  he  screws  in  his  six  pickets.    The  N.C.O. 
then  follows  the  same  procedure  with  Nos.  2  and  3. 

3.  As  soon  as  the  N.C.O.  has  thus  laid  out  his  center  line  of 
pickets  he  returns  to  the  head  of  the  task  and  supervises  the 
laying  out  of  the  outer  and  inner  line  of  pickets  by  B  and  C 
groups. 

4.  As  soon  as  A  group  has  finished  its  pickets,  it  returns  to 
head  of  work  and  puts  on  the  diagonal  in  the  outer  bay.    No.  I 
runs  out  the  coil.    No.  2  fixes  wire  on  the  outer  line  of  pickets 
and  No.  3  fixes  the  wire  on  the  center  line  of  pickets. 

5.  As  soon  as^  B  group  has  finished  its  pickets,  it  returns  to 
head  of  work  and  puts  the  horizontal  wire  on  the  outer  line  of 
pickets,  No.  4  running  out  the  coil  and  No.  5  fixing  the  wire  on 
the  pickets. 

6.  As  soon  as  C  group  has  finished  its  pickets,  it  throws  the 
spiral  wire  into  the  outer  bay — two  spirals  in  each  50  yards  bay. 

7.  When  B  group  has  finished  the  horizontal  wire  on  the  outer 
line  of  pickets,  it  comes  back  to  the  head  of  the  work  and  puts 
the  horizontal  wire  on  the  center  line  of  pickets.     Similarly  A 
group  and  C  group  return  to  the  head  of  the  work  and  repeat 
the  operations  stated  in  paragraphs  4  and  6  in  the  home  bay. 

8.  Finally,  B  group  puts  the  horizontal  wire  on  the  inner  line 
of  pickets. 

Notes. 

(a)   The  best  men  should  be  put  in  A  group,  and  the  next  best  in  B  group. 

(&)  Three  men  are  put  in  A  group,  as  it  has  by  far  the  most  difficult 
task  to  perform.  If  this  is  not  done,  it  will  be  found  that  the  other  groups 
will  be  continually  waiting. 

(c)  From  paragraph  5  it  can  be  seen  that  B  group  has  to  work  in  front 
of  the  diagonal  wire  laid  by  A  group,  but  B  group,  having  a  much   easier 
task,   will   overtake   them   and    reach    the   end    of  the  work   first.      It   auto- 
matically begins  the  horizontal  wire  on  the  center  line  of  pickets  before  A 
group  is  ready  to  start  on  the  diagonal  wire  on  the  inner  bay. 

(d)  If  the  loose  wire  is  not  made  up  in  spirals,  three  rnen  should  "be  put 
in  C  group,  as  it  is  slow  work  to  uncoil  wire  and  throw  it  in  loose. 

O)  All  low  wire  entanglements  are  slow  at  night,  owing  to  the  difficulty 
of  seeing  the  pickets.  If  circumstances  permit  of  tracing  tape  or  spun 

23 


yarn  being  laid  down  along;  the  center  line  of  pickets,  this  difficulty  may  be 
to  a  great  extent  overcome  and  all  groups  get  their  direction  automatically. 
If  tracing  tape  is  used,  it  can  and  must  be  taken  up  after  the  entanglement 
is  finished. 

(/)   No  change  in  the  drill  is  necessary   if  wooden  or  angle  iron  pickets 
are  used. 

DRILL  IV. 

DRILL    FOR    50    YARDS    STANDARD    DOUBLE    APRON 

FENCE. 
Materials. 

1.  Four  bundles,  containing  four  (long)  pickets  each. 

2.  Four  bundles,  containing  eight  anchorage  pickets  each. 

3.  Fourteen  coils    (50  yards)   barbed  wire   (or  two  coils — 100 
yards,  and  10  coils— 50  yards). 

Wiring  Party. 

One  N.C.O.  and  9  men.    The  N.C.O.  carries  cutting  pliers,  and 
each  of  the  party  a  windlassing  stick.    Gloves  as  desired. 

Carrying  Party. 

One  N.C.O.  and  15  men. 
Tasks. 


Group 

Nos. 

1st  Task 

2nd  Task 

3rd  Task 

4th  Task 

5th  Task 

A. 

1 

2 
3 

Carry     out 
three  bundles 
pickets. 

Screw  in 
long  pickets. 

Front  dia- 
gonal wi  r  e 

Bottom 
wire  on 
fence. 

Rear  d  i  a  - 
gonal  wire. 

B. 

4 
5 

Carry     out 
2     bundles 
anchorage 
pickets. 

Screw  in 
front  an- 
chorage 
pickets. 

Front  trip 
wire. 

2nd  wire 
on  fence. 

Top  hori- 
zontal wire 
on  rear 
apron. 

C. 

6 

7 

Carry     out 
2     bundles 
anchorage 
pickets. 

Screw  in 
rear  an- 
chorage 

pickets. 

2nd  hori- 
zontal wire 
on  front 
apron. 

3rd  wire 
on  fence. 

2nd  hori- 
zontal wire 
on  rear 
apron. 

D. 

8 
9 

Carry      out    1      bundle 
pickets    and      14     coils 
barbed  wire. 

Top  hori- 
zontal wire 
on  front 
apron. 

Top  wire 
on  fence. 

Trip  wire 
on  rear 
apron. 

Detail. 

1.  The  N.C.O.  leads  out  the  whole  party  to  the  head  of  the 
work,  and  A,  B  and  C  groups  undo  their  bundles  when  ready. 
The  N.C.O.  paces  out  and  indicates  to  A  group  where  to  lay  its 
pickets,  commencing  with  No.  1  and  finishing  with  No.  3.  Having 
done  this,  the  N.C.O.  returns  to  the  head  of  the  work,  picks  up 

24 


the  fourth  bundle  which  D  Party  has  brought  out,,  walks  back 
again,  and  lays  out  this  bundle.  All  numbers  of  A  Party,  as  they 
finish  their  four  pickets  join  the  N.C.O.  and  screw  in  these  last 
four  pickets. 

2.  Meanwhile,  B  and  C  groups,  getting  the  direction  from  the 
center  line  of  the  long  pickets,  lay  out  and  screw  in  the  whole  of 
the  anchorage  pickets,  B  4  being  responsible  for  the  anchorage 
picket  at  the  head  of  the  work  and  C  7  for  the  anchorage  picket 
at  the  end  of  the  work.     Each  number  of  both  groups  lays  out 
and  screws  in  his  own  bundle  of  pickets. 

3.  Meanwhile,  D  group  brings  out  the  remainder  of  the  stores 
and  dumps  them  at  any  convenient  spot  indicated  by  the  N.C.O. 
This  means  that  each  man  has  to  do  four  journeys. 

4.  As  soon  as  A  group  has  finished  its  posts,  it  returns  to  the 
head  of  the  work  and  puts  on  the  front  diagonal  wire.     No.  i 
runs  out  the  coil,  No.  2  fixes  the  wire  on  the  posts,  and  No.  3 
fixes  the  wire  on  the  anchorage  pickets. 

5.  As  B,  C  and  D  groups  finish  their  second  task  (see  Tasks), 
they  return  to  head  of  work  and  put  horizontal  wires  on  the 
aprons.     Nos.  4,  6  and  8,  respectively,  run  out  the  coils,  while 
Nos.  5,  7  and  9  windlass  the  wire  on  to  the  diagonal  wire.     In 
doing  this,  Nos.  5,  7  and  9  should  not  step  over  the  diagonal  wire, 
but  walk  round  the  posts  lifting  their  wire  over  the  posts  and 
then  down  into  position  on  the  diagonal  wire. 

6.  As  they  finish  each  task,  the  various  groups  return  to  the 
head  of  the  work  and  carry  on  with  the  next  task  in  the  order 
given. 

Notes. 

(a)  The  best  men  should  be  put  into  A  group;  the  next  best  in  B  group; 
the  next  best  in  C  group  and  the  last  in  D  group. 

(t)  Three  men  are  put  in  A  igroup,  as  it  lias  by  far  the  most  difficult 
task  to  do. 

(c)   All   men   work  behind   the  wire  the   whole  time. 

(<f)  Nos.  1  and  2  must  be  careful  to  put  the  diagonal  wire  on  fairly  slack. 
It  automatically  gets  tightened  up  when  the  horizontal  wires  are  wind- 
lassed  on.  - 

(e)  All  diagonal  wires  and  apron  wires  are  begun  and  finished  on  the 
end  anchorage  pickets.  The  horizontal  strands  on  the  fence  are  not  taken 
down  to  the  end  anchorage  pickets. 

(/)  If  wooden  or  angle  iron  pickets  are  used,  Nos.  1  and  2  and  No.  3 
and  the  N.C.O.  work  together,  No.  2  and  the  N.C.O.  holding  up  the  posts 
while  Nos.  1  and  3  maul  them  in. 

25 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


